


Can I Be Him

by KillJoy_Juniper



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alpha Mike Zacharias, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Cop Mike Zacharius, Doctor Nanaba, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Erwin Smith, Omega Nanaba, Professor Erwin Smith, Trans Nanaba (Shingeki no Kyojin), it’s Mike’s baby, pregnant Erwin, there will be pregnancy sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:54:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22514317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillJoy_Juniper/pseuds/KillJoy_Juniper
Summary: Falling in love with a pregnant omega can be hard when their baby’s father is trying to kill you all the time
Relationships: Levi & Erwin Smith, Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 36
Kudos: 66





	Can I Be Him

Fear. Fear was not an emotion Erwin had really been familiar with for most of his life. He’d grown up in a good household, had great friends in school, and an intelligence level to get him through college without much worry. Sure, he’d experienced the typical worries an omega presenting teenager did, and the nervousness of entering into his position as a teacher for the first time, but this? The fear he had today? He had never, in twenty-eight years of life, experienced this kind of fear.

He was currently sitting in the lobby of his doctor’s office with one of his TAs by his side. The lovely woman, Sarah, was just as fidgety as he was but only because she was worried for him. She’d come into the classroom to find him doubled over in pain from cramps worse than he’d ever had and demanded he get in her vehicle. The fearful look on his face made the poor girl vow not to leave his side until he was in the caring hands of Mike or their doctor.

“Mr. Smith?” A nurse opened the door next to the check in counter.

“Me, right here.” He eased himself out of the chair and cupped the underside of his stomach. “Sarah, I’m good. You can go ahead and go now, Mike should be here any minute.”

“A-are you sure?” The girl gathered her things nervously.

“Yes, yes. Seriously, you’ve done too much already. I’ll be okay.” He waved at her and sent the best smile he could, but she could see through it.

“Okay, but if you need me to do your lectures tomorrow just let me know. You know that Jasmine and I are more than capable of covering things for you.” Her keys jingled on the lanyard as she reached forward to pat his shoulder.

“Thank you.” The nurse called his name again so the student turned and let herself out. “Sorry, hi.”

“No, it’s okay.” The man held the door open but stayed close to his side. “I’m so sorry you had to wait, we had a very serious emergency come in just before you called. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. The cramping calmed down on the way here. It’s not that bad right now.” It was a lie, Erwin knew telling it wasn’t good for him, but it was almost like the nurse knew that.

He was led past the intake station and directly into an exam room where someone was already waiting for him. The sight of the silver hair brought a smile to his face and nearly cleared the worry from his mind. Just her face was enough to help.

“Erwin, I’m so sorry. A mom was literally dropping a child _out of her body_ in another room.” Nanaba stood up from the rolling stool and rushed forward to help the nurse get him on the table. “Gabe, can you bring everything in here to check his vitals? Oh, and ask Wanda to come draw some blood as soon as she can.”

“Nana, it’s okay. Can we just calm down for half a second?” Erwin tried to sit up from where she’d pushed him to lay down but one of her small hands braced against his chest.

“Boy, if you don’t lay down I will hurt you.” The look on her face was serious, but caring.

The blonde felt like things were swirling around him, going much faster than his brain could track. In an instant, a blood pressure cuff was around his arm, sonogram gel was squirted over his belly, and he was prompted to stick a thermometer under his tongue. The lights went off before the silence of the room was filled with a deep, rhythmic wooshing sound. And in that moment, everything in his mind was soothed over, the hammering of his own heart in his ears was suppressed and he could finally breath.

“Is she okay?” Erwin's own words were spoken in a weak tone.

“Hang on. Give me just a second.” Nanaba clicked a few buttons, adjusted the wand, and rolled her eyes over the screen as Gabe called out his vitals. Her worried face was illuminated only by the screen and some light filtering in through the window. “Okay, thank you, Gabe. Put that in the computer for me, if you will, and then grab Wanda. If she can get in here before Mike does, that would be preferable.”

The nurse nodded and trotted out of the room after typing on the computer that was on the counter. The seconds ticked by as Nanaba moved the wand even more and studied the screen a bit harder, and each one of them made Erwin more and more nervous. He had to fight the urge to smooth his hands over the protrusion of his stomach and settled, instead, for thrumming his fingers against the table.

“Hey, take a deep breath for me. Calm down, your BP is super high. I need you to just breathe and calm down.” Nanaba took a few more pictures before settling the wand back in the spot to bring the wooshing sound back. “Here, listen to her and breath.”

“Okay. Okay.” Erwin rubbed his eyes and palmed at his cheeks.

From the moment his cramps started, Erwin feared the worst. The entire twelve minute ride from the University had been nerve wracking because he was afraid that his entire world was crashing down on him. He felt like he was losing everything, in those few minutes, and he feared the worst. Even when the cramps lessened, he still didn’t allow himself to feel better about the situation because the outcome was unclear. Here, on this exam table, listening to his daughter's heartbeat, had been the most calming part of his entire day. Nana kept the wand on him, pressed deep into the skin beside his left hip bone, and reached to take one of his hands.

“She’s fine, okay? She’s alright. I was just looking around to be sure there wasn’t anything to worry about.” She checked her watch before grumbling. “Where is Michael? I swear of all the times to _not_ show up.”

“He’ll be here. You know he’d die before not being here.” That made the both of them laugh. “I thought he was going to actually have a heart attack on the phone when I called. I had to hang up on him because just listening to him rattle off questions was giving me anxiety.”

A knock came at the door before Wanda let herself into the room and flicked on the light. She smiled, but got straight to work searching for a vein. Nanaba tightened her hold on Erwin's palm when the woman poached a few tubes of his blood and put a bandage over the tiny wound. She requested a few specific panels of blood work and thanked the woman as she left the room. Nanaba let the wand leave his skin but didn’t bother to wipe off the goop.

“You know what I’m going to say, Erwin.”

He hated those words, every single individual syllable of each word because he definitely knew what the doctor was going to say. She was going to give him news he didn’t want, directions he didn’t want to follow. Hell, if she needed to, Nanaba would write them on a prescription paper and give them to him in that form. She would do anything to drill it into his head and the second Mike heard, the alpha wouldn’t let him get away with ignoring them.

“Please don't, Nana. Please. I’m begging you. Please don’t say it.” Erwin let his hand rest of the top of the roundness, something to comfort him further. “I can’t do it. I really can’t.”

“I’m sorry, honey, but you have to.” She rolled the sonogram machine back a bit to roll closer to his face. “Erwin, you are pre-preeclamptic. You have an extremely high blood pressure, your heart rate is through the roof, and I bet you those blood tests are going to tell me that your sugar is too high. This is, literally, too much for me not to tell you that I _need_ you to be on bed rest.”

A large sigh left his lungs and the urge to stand up and pace the room was almost as high as his desire to be _off_ his feet for the time being. He was too busy for bed rest. There was no way that he could accept that as an answer.

“Nana, I _can't_ be put on bed rest. There has to be something else. I can’t run a department from my house.” His daughter kicked against his skin, just inches away from the tips of his fingers. He wanted Mike here, he needed the man to hear these ridiculous words and agree with him.

“Erwin, something has to be done. I…I don’t want to scare you but you could lose this baby.” She squeezed his hand with both of hers in a tight grip.

“Fuck, Nana.” Erwin felt tears pricking behind his eyes. “Nana, I don’t know what to do. I can’t – I don’t…”

“Take a breath, it’s okay.” She pulled a tissue from the box on the counter and shoved it in his free hand. “Look at you, Erwin. You have bags under your eyes the size of _Jupiter_ and you’re running yourself into the dirt. How many classes are you teaching a week now? Fifteen? You almost live on campus. You can’t keep doing this to yourself. You can’t keep doing this to _her._ ”

“I know that, but, fuck. I live an hour away and I can’t save for a baby if I’m not working. I don’t have anyone to pawn these classes off on.” It was going to happen, he was going to cry because every word she spoke was true.

“Don’t you have, like, four TAs? Isn’t that what they’re for?” Nanaba reached for another tissue and pressed in against his face herself.

“I mean, yea, but two of them are unpaid because they’re just internships and only one of them actually has a car. I can’t rely on that one person to drive all of the tests and papers to and from my house. Like, I could get them my lesson plans, but that isn't the issue. I can't drop all of that on them.” Another cramp started the twist at his muscles and a hiss of pain escaped his lips.

“Okay, you’re fine. Calm down.” Nanaba pushed soothing rubs into his arm. “I’m literally going to drown Mike for not being here. I swear to God he is the worst.”

Erwin laughed through the pain and sniffled as he tried to clean himself up. A few tears rolled back into his ears so he wiped them away. It was definitely uncharacteristic for Mike to be late like this, especially with the severity of the matter, but the omega knew it had to be for a good reason. The alpha would show up eventually because he was an amazing man. The pair sat in silence for another minute until the cramp passed and Erwin was able to relax again with a breath of relief.

“God, he’s going to hear you say bed rest and literally lock me in my own house.” Erwin rubbed his face again and chuckled when Nanaba laughed.

“Yea, that sounds about right.” There was a bit more silence, just the sound of them breathing together, before Nanaba squeezed his hand again and moved even closer. “Erwin, can I share a few things with you?”

“Of course.” He said that with a wave of caution behind them. Was there something she wasn’t telling him?

“So, I know that you and I haven’t really spent too much time together outside of your appointments and little get togethers when Mike wants to cook, but…I hope you know that I really care so much for you. Like, I know you’re still nervous about everything going on between me and Mike, but I want you to know that I really have grown extremely fond of you.” She gave him a kind, warm smile, but he knew she had more to say. “I know that it was a little scary at first, but I have never thought anything bad about you, Mike, or your baby. You and this little girl are the most important people in his life and I respect that more than you could ever know.”

“Nana, you underestimate how in love with you he already is.” Erwin laughed softly.

“No, I really don’t. I've always known he was captivated by me, the man reads like a glass fucking window and his mouth has absolutely no filter.” They both laughed at that together because it was painfully true. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret unless he walks in that door because I’m pretty sure you don’t know this. So, I know that since you found out you were pregnant, he’s told you that he goes into work super early in the morning, right?”

“Yeah? He’s normally up when I’m getting ready to leave for class.” Erwin’s morning always started around 6:30, even when that meant dragging himself out of bed when he didn’t want to.

“Okay. And, so, you know he spends more time at my place now than his own, right?”

“Um, yeah?” Again, Erwin did know that.

He’d been a bit weary of it at first because Mike had only met Nanaba two months before Erwin got pregnant, was only speaking to her when he helped the omega through his last heat. The pair had just started dating a week before he sat on his bathroom floor watching two pink lines show up on fourteen different pregnancy tests. He was now five months pregnant, as of three days ago, so for a regular couple it might have been a bit early for the alpha to have 90% of his stuff at Nanaba's house. But, it was simply because he spent so much time there and, if Erwin was being honest, the two of them went together like cheese and fine wine. Mike looked at her like she was the most amazing person he’d ever laid eyes on and that was something new for the bachelor, so it made Erwin happy to see him so enthralled by the woman.

“Sweetheart, that man doesn’t roll out of bed until, like, nine in the morning. His shifts have started around eleven for, like, the past three months.” Nanaba must have noticed the confused look that sprouted across his face because she chuckled as she moved on with an explanation. “He has an alarm set in his phone to go off ever single morning, so that he can call and check on you and the baby before you make the hour-long drive into town. He, physically, has to hear your voice and know that you two are okay in order to go back to sleep. He has threatened to get in his car and drive to you a few times when you didn’t sound okay.”

“What…?”

That was enough to bring the tears back into Erwin's eyes. This was so Mike, absolutely the living description of the Michael Julien Zacharias he grew up with. They loved one another, were life-long friends and lovers when things were difficult for each other or when their heats and ruts came along, so it really wasn’t surprising to hear this from her. Since learning about the pregnancy, Mike had become an even more compassionate and caring man, the most excited alpha Erwin had even met. And when they found out it was going to be a girl, the larger man actually wept giant tears; it was a beautiful day. Finding out his girlfriend was an OBGYN had been particularly convenient, a little awkward at first, but nice.

“Its true, I swear. He loves you so goddamn much. He is the most amazing alpha I’ve ever met in my entire life. Having you so far away from his is really the thing he worries about the most.”

“No, I-I know. I just…I’m trying to save to find a new place, but I’m also trying to save for the time I’ll have to take off and everything I’ll have to buy. Places close to the campus are either way too expensive or not really a place I want to raise a baby in. The apartments around here are super nice but anything close to the bottom floor is expensive and I don’t want to have to carry a newborn down eight flights of stairs just to go to the mailbox, you know?” He tried drying his eyes again but the tears still kept coming.

“Shit, if that ain’t the truth. Mike wouldn’t want that either.” Nanaba pulled more tissues out for him.

Erwin hummed in agreement because the man had gotten angry at him for a few of the apartments he’d already been looking at. The alpha was absolutely against anything past the second or third floor of an apartment building for numerous reason, but mostly because of the stairs and ability to be evacuated if it was necessary. Erwin was a college professor, but he didn’t make enough money to afford a big house on the outskirts of town or a luxury apartment, but he also spent more time at school than home anyway, so he wasn’t necessarily interested in spending that much money on something that was cheaper a bit farther away, but that idea made Mike a bit angry too. He knew the man wanted access to him, even if was just to come feel the baby kick for a few hours or help him grocery shop, but being an hour away made that difficult for the both of them. Having the alpha around soothed him, was sometimes the only way to get the baby to stop a four-hour kicking marathon, but the large blonde was a police officer and had crazy hours sometimes. The situation was chaotic to say the least.

“You know what. I have an idea. How ab–”

“Erwin?!” Mike's loud, booming voice suddenly echoed down the hallway followed by a few that belonged to the nurses. In a matter of second the door flew open as the alpha surged into the space. “Oh my god. I’m here. I’m so sorry. Are you okay? I was serving a warrant and there was a stand off. Is the baby okay? Is she alive?”

“Mike, honey, calm down.” Nanaba slowly pulled the sonogram machine back beside the bed and motioned for him to grab a chair.

“What kind of cramps were they? Fuck, I got here as fast as I could.” The man was red in the face as he blindly reached for a chair, not wanting to take his eyes away from the omega. “Please tell me she’s okay. Are you okay? Did you pass out? Are you bleeding?”

“Mike. Stop and breathe. Please sit down before you hyperventilate and I have to call 911 for _you_. Sit. Down. Please.” Erwin extended his hand and let the panicking man take it in his own, which gave him the strength to glance back to properly grab the chair. He planted it as close to Erwin possible and forced himself into it.

“Alright, everyone just breathe and let's just keep it together.” Nana pressed the wand into Erwin's skin and searched around until the wooshing of their daughter's heartbeat filled the room once again.

“Oh, fuck.” Mike instantly relaxed and let his head drop to rest on Erwin's shoulder. “Jesus fucking Christ, thank God. Oh, holy fuck.”

“You okay there, officer?” Erwin asked jokingly as he swept his thumb across the large knuckles of Mike's hand.

“No. Fuck, I thought I’d lost you guys, that we’d lost her. I couldn’t think the entire fucking time I was on the goddamn stop.” Mike sat up and pressed a kiss to Erwin's temple before letting their foreheads touch. “You scared me.”

“I’m sorry.” Erwin pulled Mike's hand up and let it rest above his belly button.

They trio sat in silence for a couple of minutes just listening to the strong heart beat as it pulsed in the air. She kicked a couple times, making loud static-like noises, but that only made Mike rub the roundness and get gel on his fingers. His breathing was still erratic, coming out of his nose in short puffs, but was finally starting to settle the more he listened to her.

“Her heartrate is fantastic. It’s strong and very consistent, so she’s doing just fine.” Nanaba spoke softly so it didn’t overshadow the wooshing.

Mike's eyes snapped open and settled on her face, as if he didn’t realize it was her sitting on the other side of the exam table at first. He drew in a deep breath and gave Erwin's forehead a kiss before gently pulling away. He stood and rounded the table in two long strides to beckon the woman from her seat. She smiled lovingly, sat the wand down, and stood just in time for the alpha to pull her deep into his chest and lift her from the floor.

“Thank you. Thank you so much, baby. Fuck, thank you.” He buried his face in her neck and just held her for a second.

Erwin couldn’t keep a large smile from breaking out. He could see the man's limbs twitching with the instinctual pull to stay by his side, protect their pup, but also the absolute need for Nanaba's physical comfort. They looked perfect, like two puzzle pieces coming together to form a beautiful picture, which made Erwin feel calm and happy. He and Mike made perfect best friends, soul mates at some of the deepest levels, but Nanaba? Mike and Nanaba were more like destined mates. They were able to sooth the deepest worries in one another and provided the other with the kind of comfort that only mates could. That’s how Erwin knew they were meant for one another, sometimes he was jealous, but only because he hadn’t found the right person for himself.

Erwin let a deep, collected breath leave his lungs in relief. A blanket of exhaustion started to take up residence in his body, settling deep in his joints and behind his eyes. The baby, however, was very much awake, especially after hearing her father speak. She gave a series of soft presses above Erwin's left hip before adjusting to rattle off a parade of steps against his stomach. It almost made him nauseous. He groaned, a sound pathetic enough to draw Mike's attention back on him and put Nanaba back on the floor.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? More cramps.” He placed his hand back on the top of Erwin's stomach as he dropping back into the chair.

“No, she’s kicking the shit out of me.” Erwin put his own hand on top of Mike's and rubbed his eyes with the other.

“God, you look like you need about thirty hours of sleep.” Mike's free hand came up to card through his hair and scratch at his scalp.

“I feel like if it was possible to eat, sleep, and take a bath all at the same time, I would be doing that right now.” Erwin let his eyes flutter shut under Mike's soothing touches.

“I will see what I can do about all of that.” Mike placed one more kiss on his forehead. “So, Nan, what’s the verdict? What's making him cramp? Is she sick? Is he sick? What do I need to do?”

Erwin felt his anxiety flare up again. He knew that the moment the statement left Nanaba's mouth, Mike would offer twelve different solutions, none of which were really viable because of one thing or another, but simply because he would move heaven and earth to keep Erwin and their baby safe. And, just as the omega expected, that’s exactly what he did until Erwin begged him to stop talking.

“Mike, please. Please, I’m too tired for all of this.” He smooshed his face between his hands and tried to stretch as much as he could on the uncomfortable ass table. Nanaba took a handful of tissues and wiped the goop away from his skin.

“Actually,” Nanaba rolled her stool over to Mike's side of the table and put her hands on his knee. “Before you got here, I was actually getting ready to ask Erwin something.”

He looked over to see the doctor smiling as she pulled Mike's hands into her own. She didn’t have a cautious look in her expression, more like a hopeful one, maybe a little bit of worry, but mostly excitement. She made eye contact with the omega and blushed.

“So, a few years back, my grandmother passed away and left me the house I live in. It has more than enough room for another person in it and it’s only thirty minutes away from town, twenty on the weekends or when there’s no traffic. So, do…do you want to move in with me?”

Erwin was sure he hadn’t heard her right, but from the sudden look on Mike's face, he certainly had. The way he looked between the two of them fluctuated between surprised, happy, nervous, and hopeful, but Erwin didn’t exactly know how to feel. That was an incredibly generous offer, one that he felt like he surely didn’t deserve.

“N-nana…that’s…” Erwin pulled himself to sit up now that his stomach was clean.

“Babe, are you serious? You really mean that?” Mike tucked a stray chunk of hair behind her ear and cupped her face.

“I mean, the same goes for you, too, if you want. You’re already over so much as it is and I know that it’s moving a bit fast, but the both of you could be in the same place. Plus, there’s that really nice master bedroom on the bottom floor that I don’t use.” She looked back towards Erwin and patted his leg. “Even if you don’t like the house, it’s on a ton of land and my father is a contractor, we could have one built just for you. Now, given, it wouldn’t be done until after the baby is born, but it could be yours. The estate is huge and it’s just going to waste with nothing on it. Really, there’s more than enough room for anything to work. I love both of you and…well…I really want to help. Plus, I’m sorry if it’s too soon, but I really want to watch this little girl grow up…if I can.”

“Nana.” Mike pulled her into his chest and crushed her with his arms.

Erwin still sat on the table with what had to be a very surprised expression on his face. He’d never been to her house before so he had no idea what it looked like, much less that it had the kind of space she was talking about. The first thing he thought, naturally, was that it sounded like a good plan. He and Mike could be walls apart, within each other’s reach when they needed one another, but what if something happened between Mike and Nanaba? That was a gloomy consideration, he recognized that, but it was one thing to be dating a man with a baby on the way, but what happens when that baby is _born_? What happens when the man you’re dating, the _alpha_ you’ve spent the past eight months with, is now spending all of his time and energy on a baby from an _omega_ _that he slept with when you starting talking_? Erwin knew that wasn’t fair to the woman in front of him, that she’d done nothing to spark any of these thoughts in his head, but they still seemed valid in the back of his mind

“Nana, that’s…really that’s an amazing offer but…” The blonde couldn’t find the right words, but that was mainly because he didn’t know if it was the right decision.

“No, no 'but,' Erwin. Babe, do you really mean that?” Mike pushed her back enough to look into her eyes when she nodded before glancing over to Erwin. “You and the baby would literally be in the same house as me. Plus, if anything ever happened, Nana would be there too.”

“And the house is already paid for, I own it. So, I really just pay the property taxes and the utilities. I wouldn’t really need any rent or anything from you, so you’d have more to go towards saving for the baby.” She squeezed Erwin’s leg again. “I know it’s a lot and I know we’ve only known each other for a few months, but I’m here and I don’t plan to go anywhere. I love the both of you, maybe Mike just a tiny bit more, but definitely the both of you. I hope that’s not weird.”

Mike chuckled into the air around them and reached up run his fingers through Erwin's hair again. He tugged until the omega made eye contact with him and just held it like that for a minute. He could see the pleading in Mike’s pupils, the desire for the omega and their baby to be steps away from him, but the man had a knack for diving headfirst into things when he was overly excited and emotional about them. Erwin noticed he’d become a bit more cautious about things since learning about his pregnancy, but that came with it’s own downsides also.

“Please, Erwin.” Mike whispered, cradling his head and thumbing across his cheek. “Please. Just try it, please. You’re killing yourself and I hate it. I can’t be there for you when you need me. You have to slow down. Let me, us, take care of you.”

“Only if I’m allowed off bed rest.”

“No deal, but you do get a really nice master bathroom with one of those claw-feet bathtubs.” Nanaba pushed away from the two of them and pulled her phone from her hands. “So, the house cleaners normally come on Thursday, so I can have them a super deep clean on that room specifically. When do you want to move in?”

“I have the weekend off, so I can bring boxes and start getting your stuff together.” Mike stood up suddenly and kissed his forehead.

“Oh! I’ll be off too. Two people is better than one. Do we need a moving truck or do you think it will all fit in your truck?” Nanaba tapped her chin.

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” Erwin waved his hands in the air. “Alright, slow down. I still have three months left on my lease before I can even think about moving.”

“Oh, no. Fuck that place. I’ll have you out by the weekend. Don’t even worry about that payment, seriously.” Mike pulled out his own phone. “Probably a truck, honestly. He has enough books to fill a library.”

“You guys are actually insane.” Erwin shook his head and laughed.

xxx

“Mike, really you don’t have to do this. I can–” Erwin's shirt was pulled over his head.

“Shut up and let me help you.” The alpha's tone was gentle but firm.

After the entire scene at the clinic, Mike was given the rest of the afternoon off to care for Erwin. When Nanaba got off not long after, the three of them went for food and decided, much against the omega's wishes, to get him moved in over the weekend. From there, Mike refused to let Erwin drive home, so the alpha drove with Nanaba close behind them in her vehicle, but not until after he called his TAs to cover for him the following day.

“You act like you’re in this alone way too much. You’re halfway through this thing, Erwin. Like, were going to be _holding_ her sooner than we think. Just let me take care of you, please?” Mike's eyes were soft in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. He was, obviously, so tired from the stress of the day but his devotion to his family was much more important to him than sleeping.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Erwin sighed and braced his hands on the counter. “I just – your girlfriend in twenty feet away and you’re in here getting me naked. Excuse me for being a little on the fence.”

“She gets it. She’s watching TV and eating your chips, she’s perfectly fine. She wanted to come. And it’s not like I’m getting you naked for anything weird, I literally just want to pamper you for a bit.” The alpha brought a warm rag to pat at the edges of the clear scent blocking patches on Erwin's neck. He started to peel one off but stopped when the blonde hissed in pain. “Sorry. Sorry.”

“I really hate these thing.” He gripped the counter as the first one was detached from his skin. His scent glands were steadily getting more sensitive as his hormones worked overtime to regulate his body.

“I know, but you can’t just go around smelling pregnant _and_ unmated at the same time. I would kill the first person who touched you and then then the baby would grow up minus a dad. Then, I’d have to escape from prison, leave the country, have a bounty put on my head, and I’d _still_ never get to see the two of you or Nana.” Mike smiled when Erwin laughed into the steam of the room. “I just want you to be safe, Win.”

“I know, Mike, I know.” Erwin grumbled when the second sticker snagged as it came off. He slumped back against Mike's chest and just let the built up waves roll off his skin.

“I love you, you know.” The alpha wrapped his arms around Erwin's body and cradled his stomach. “Both of you.”

“I love you, too, Mike.” A relaxed happiness rolled through his body when Mike hummed and pressed a kiss into his hair.

“Alright, in we go.” He unceremoniously pushed the briefs from Erwin's hips and patted the omega's arm.

It wasn’t that Erwin was incapable of bathing himself, because he certainly was, his stomach wasn’t even really that big yet, but after the chaotic episode earlier, Mike really needed some reassurance. The only way the alpha knew to comfort both himself and Erwin at the same time was to feed him, which he’d already done, and bathe him before spending the night. This wasn’t the first time they done this in the past five months, but it always made Erwin feel a bit odd knowing the alpha was with him instead of his girlfriend.

“Will you please stop worrying and sit down.” Mike pulled him from his thought and kneeled down as Erwin lowered his body into the tub. “You’re easy for me to read _with_ those patches on, Win, so don’t tell me you aren’t worrying. How many times do I have to tell you that Nanaba is fine?”

“Yeah, well, you’re touching me. Naked. While she’s in the other room.” Erwin groaned when the alpha scooped the hot water over his shoulders.

“I am, but you’re the only one actually stressing out about it.” Mike prompted him to tip his head back and poured water into his hair. “So, just sit there and relax for once in your life.”

“Will you at least wipe _your_ patches off? That might help. There’s just too much me in here right now.” He dipped a wash cloth into the water and reached for Mike's neck but the alpha pulled away.

“No, not yet. I’m still on edge from earlier and it’ll just make you upset. Let me cool down a bit more first. I’ll shower after I get you settled and by then I should be okay.” Mike stole the cloth from him and drizzled it with a sweet smelling body wash.

Erwin grumbled a bit more but settled for concentration on relaxing as Mike scrubbed the day away from his skin. He focused on the sounds in the apartment: the fizzing of the body wash as it reacted with the water, voices from the television that filtered into the open doorway of the bathroom, and the faint snickering noises Nanaba made, probably laughing at something on her phone. Mike gently passed the cloth over Erwin's glands to rid him of any remaining residue from the patch before passing up and down each arm. He gently pressed Erwin to lean back against the wall to wash his chest, apologizing along the way when the wash cloth bothered Erwin’s sensitive nipples. The omega’s lower legs were next, but Mike handed the cloth over to him to finish the rest.

“Thank you.” Erwin mumbled when the alpha's fingers started massaging shampoo into his hair.

“You’re literally carrying my child, don’t thank me for anything. Plus, even if you weren’t, you’re still my best friend and you know I’d do anything you ever needed me to.” Mike cupped Erwin's forehead as he rinsed the shampoo out.

“That’s pretty gay, Michael.” Erwin smirked softly.

“Shh, don’t let my baby's father to hear all that.” The warmth in his voice only aided in making Erwin feel much better.

Finally, Erwin was clean from the day so he leaned back against the wall of the tub and lounged in the water. Mike folded an arm and slouched against the edge of the tub; he extended his free arm and placed his hand on the bump of the omega's stomach. Erwin watched as Mike's closed his eyes and just sat there, soaking in the fact that his family was clean, healthy, and safe from harm. It prided him to see the larger man finally looking so peaceful, but he was soon finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. Just as he was about to drift off into sleep, a deep grumble sounded from his stomach and little feet thrummed against the left side of his stomach.

“Well, goddamn. Good evening to you too, fussy.” Mike pressed his thumb against that spot and rubbed. “You okay, Win?”

“Actually, I’m kind of hungry again if I’m being honest.” He tried laughing but a blush still crept across his face because he’d just eaten a few hours ago.

“What do you want? I can make that stir fry bag in your freezer.” The alpha acted like he was getting ready to get up but Erwin quickly shook his head.

“God, no, please. She hates those, I don’t know why I haven’t thrown it away yet.” His stomach grumbled again and a small bubble of hunger-fueled irritation started to rear it’s head in the back of his mind.

“Okay. What does my princess want then, huh?” Mike cooed towards his stomach and rubbed over the entire expanse of it.

“French fries and a milkshake.” Without thinking, the words just jumped from Erwin's mouth and made him laugh. “Shit, sorry.”

“I can make both of those happen. Here let’s get you out.” Mike jumped to his feet, but Erwin groaned out a whine.

“No. No, leaving. You’re tired and you need to shower.” He nearly refused the alpha's extended hand to help him from the tub.

“Erwin, I can wait twenty more minutes to go get you some food.” The man gently pulled him to his feet before grabbing a towel and steadying him to step over the lip.

“No! Jesus Christ, Mike.” His voice came out much louder than he meant it to but his hormones flipped his attitude so much easier these days.

“Alright, now, take it easy.” The fact that Mike didn’t react when he snatched the towel away was a blessing.

“Is everything okay in there?” Nanaba's voice was just outside the door.

“Fine.” Erwin scrubbed the towel over his arms.

“He’s hungry again but thinks I’ll be bothered by having to go get him so food.” The alpha crossed his arms over his chest.

“Michael don’t start with me.” Erwin's tone was firm but tired.

“I can go get you something. I don’t mind. That way Mike doesn’t have to leave.” Nanaba called back through the door as her phone screen lit up in the hallway.

“No. No, now, both of you stop.” His stomach betrayed him by giving a deep rumble.

“Erwin, seriously, you're hungry.” Mike patted his pockets for a moment before realizing they were empty. “Babe, can you bring me my phone? Erwin at least let me order you something.”

“You can’t get a fucking milkshake and some fries delivered, Michael.” Erwin tosses the towel over his head and furiously rubs his hair.

“You can from the fucking Mom and Pop shop you like, Erwin.” Mike scrolled over a few screens when Nana’s hand appeared. “Mint chocolate chip or cookie dough?”

Erwin hadn’t thought that far, but that was one hell of a decision that completely derailed him from the argument. Both of them were his favorites, especially from that shop because they were all homemade every week, but how was he supposed to chose. The baby flipped around a bit and nudged against his belly button with a demand of her own.

“Hazelnut Caramel.” Those words shocked even himself.

“But…you hate that one.” Mike squinted at him and stopped scrolling.

“It’s what she wants, blame her.” The omega rubbed over the top of his stomach for emphasis.

Mike laughed softly before dialing the number and ordering exactly what Erwin wanted, adding a few things only for himself when Nanaba declined and retreated back into the living room with a chuckle. The alpha then helped the blonde get dried off and settled into his large bed with the TV on just before the food arrived. Mike rushed to answer the door and left what Erwin hoped was a solid tip. As he came back to the room with their spoils, Nanaba followed with her purse slung over her shoulder.

“Hey, I think I’m going to go ahead and head out. I have work in the morning.” She stole Mike's soda and took a small sip.

“Are you sure?” Erwin immediately felt bad for letting her come so far out. “I can wash your scrubs here and the couch pulls out into a bed. You can stay.”

“You are actually the sweetest human being I’ve ever met, but I can’t. I want to give y’all the night together. It'll be easier if y’all don’t have to worry about me.” She gave him a genuine smile and waved her hand through the air.

“Are you sure?” It was Mike's turn to ask.

“Yes, I’m sure. I promise, I’m fine.” Nanaba lovingly wrapped her arms around Mike's neck when he collected her for a hug. “Mmm, I hope y’all have a good night.”

“Let me know when you get home?” Mike leaned in to press a deep kiss against her lips.

“I will.” She squeezed him and exchanged one more quick kiss. “Erwin, if you have anymore cramps or anything like that just call me, okay?”

“Okay. Please drive safe.” He still felt bad, but she didn’t look mad at all so that kind of helped.

“I’m going to walk her to her car, okay? You start eating and I’ll be right back.”

The second Erwin slipped the first fry into his mouth, he was in heaven. They were perfectly salted, extra crunch, absolutely perfect. The milkshake had extra whipped cream, just like he wanted, but the fact that his stomach didn’t flip at the taste was the most rewarding. He ended up mostly nursing the shake and had three-quarters of it drank before Mike got back into the house. The alpha laughed softly and started the burger he’d ordered for himself before polishing off Erwin's fries when he finally got full off the ice cream.

“Sleepy?” Mike ran his hand through Erwin's hair when the omega started to nod off.

“Just full now.” He resituated himself to lay more on his left side.

“Good.” Mike collected the trash. “I’m going to jump in the shower then. You go ahead and go to sleep.”

Erwin only hummed response when his eyes drooped fast than he expected. He was awake just long enough to watch Mike pull his shirt over his head as he stepped into the bathroom. He knew he hadn’t fallen into a deep sleep because he ticked awake the moment Mike's patches were washed away and the alpha waves drifted through the house. He smelled wonderful, had since they were younger, but it was very easy for Erwin to sense the small hints of worry from earlier. Erwin let out a few of his own apologetic waves, followed by small bursts of comfort, and he could tell when Mike relaxed behind the bathroom door.

Erwin nodded of to sleep again from the comfort of their waves mixing together. He was slightly jostled awake again when Mike climbed into the bed and pressed against his back while pulling the blankets up to their chests. The lights had been flicked off, fan turned on, and television on low; it was perfectly set up for Erwin to get an amazing night of sleep. The alpha pulled him back against his chest, slipped an arm under his head, and nosed into Erwin's neck before fanning his fingers over the man's roundness.

“Thank you, Win.” The words were whispered into the skin of his throat before a kiss was pressed into the back of his hair. Mike's large hand caressed his entire stomach with gently, heavy circles as they settled into one another with sighs. “Thank you so much.”

That night Erwin slept for fourteen hours straight, which hadn’t done in a very long time, probably before he’d gotten pregnant. If he got up to use the bathroom, he didn’t remember doing it, and if the alarm went off for his class that morning he hadn’t heard it. Noises from down the hall told him Mike was in the kitchen and the clock made him assume lunch was being prepared. He lounged under the blankets for as long as he could, but eventually the urge to pee pulled him away. He was still drying his hands off when Mike met him halfway down the hallway with a tray of food in his hand.

“Good afternoon, handsome. Get back in bed.” The alpha stood his ground and smiled when Erwin turned on his heel.

“You have to let me go eventually, you know.” He climbed back onto the mattress and eyed the steaming bowl of tomato soup with want when it was placed across his lap.

“I know. I have work in a few hours anyway. My uniform is in the dryer and once it's done we’ll head into town. Nana has your paperwork ready anyway.” Mike took a long drag of his coffee. “You're just going to turn that in today, right? And then you're coming home?”

“Yes, Michael.” Erwin teased before spooning some of the rich soup into his mouth. “I an having a meeting with my TAs, but that's it for today. We are going to try and set up a meeting with all of my students so I can explain to them what's going on, but that probably won't happen until next week.”

“Okay, good. I’m going to pick up some boxes tonight after work and then I'll be here after my shift ends on Friday to help you pack.”

“Mike, are your sure this is a good idea? Two days is really soon and I even talked to the housing manger yet. I don’t even know how much it is to get out of my lease.” He swirled the spoon around in the bowl but abandoned it to take a bite of the grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

“I may have gone to talk to them already.” Mike wouldn’t meet his eyes when his head jerked up.

“Mike!”

“What? All I did was tell them what was going and that I needed to know how much it would be. It’s not like I did anything wrong, Win.” He kept his voice level but Mike could feel the defensiveness building in his waves.

“I could have done that. You don’t have to do everything for me. This is a two way street. I can still do things for myself.” Erwin knew it was a little irrational to be upset about this because Mike was doing what any other alpha would do, but he wasn’t some helpless omega that needed to be waited on hand and foot.

“I never said you couldn’t. I just wanted to hear it for myself because I know you and you wouldn’t have told me the real price.” Mike had a matter-of-fact tone in his voice, but it wasn’t like Erwin could have argued against that point anyway.

“It’s not your job to pay that.” The omega mumbled and stirred the soup even more.

“Win, for God’s sake, it is. I’m the one who wants you to move. I knocked you up, at least let me take care of you. At least let me _help_ you.”

A small silence fell between them because they could both tell that Erwin was getting too worked up. He’d just woken up and was already getting stressed out, which is exactly what he didn’t need. Erwin knew Mike was just trying to be a good alpha, it was what he loved most about him. The man truly was amazing, cared more for others than he did himself, but Erwin had never had someone who wanted take care of him like this.

“At least tell me how much so we can split it.” Erwin downed more of the soup.

“I may have already paid it.” Mike turned away when a pillow swatted his on the side of his face.

“Michael Julien!”

“Don’t spill your soup!” He held his coffee cup away from his body but couldn’t keep himself from laughing. “Erwin stop!”

“If I wasn’t hungry I might actually throw this _on you_. You don’t have the extra money for that.” Erwin resituated the pillow behind him with a grumble.

“Oh hush. I'm just fine. It wasn’t even really that much, I promise. Now, finish eating so we can get going.” Mike carded through the messiness of his hair.

After their little spat, Erwin hurried through the rest of his food because he truly was hungry. He pulled on an array of comfortable clothes while Mike slipped into his uniform. The ride into town was easy, quicker with the fact that Mike was, ironically, a speed demon. They stopped by the clinic first to grab his paperwork and then headed straight to the University.

“Alright, if you need anything or start not feeling good, just call me.” Mike idled next to the main administration building and reached across the console to soothe his hand across Erwin's stomach. “Call me for anything, okay?”

“I will, I will. You be safe out there.” Erwin shucked the door open and eased himself down from the height of the truck.

“I’ll try. I love you. Keep our girl safe.”

“I love you, too. I’ll do my best.”

Erwin wasn’t surprised at how well his boss took the news that he was pretty much being put under house arrest. It wasn’t entirely uncommon for omegas to need this, but Erwin still felt bad for inconveniencing his students and the rest of the staff. He was already legally provided a year off for maternity leave, so he’d really been hoping to work up until his due date, but things happen the way they do. Now, granted, he wouldn’t be quitting, it was still cutting back on his hours tremendously because all he’d be able to do is write lesson plans and grade things, maybe pop in every now and again, but he still felt bad. His TAs took that very well also because he was finally allowing them to do their jobs instead of doing it all himself, they seemed pretty happy with the turn of events.

The rest of the week seemed to zoom by faster than Erwin could have ever imagined. He’d never spent so much time at home before, not that he minded though. Most of it was spent writing lesson plans or uploading homework to the student portal online, but it still went by in a flurry of unexpectedly gracious emails. Before Erwin knew it, the weekend arrived and his apartment was filled with all his TAs, Nanaba, Mike, and five of the alpha’s coworkers ready to help him move. Erwin wasn’t even allowed to touch anything, he had to spend the entire afternoon sitting on the couch while everyone else broke out in sweat and heavy breathing. The omega couldn’t lie though, even he became exhausted from watching everyone work, as terrible as that sounded. By the time everyone ate the pizza he and the alpha ordered, the house way completely bare and clean, like it hadn’t had an occupant for two years. It was actually a bit sad.

Arriving at Nanaba’s house, though, was enough to make the man forget about everything. The house was incredible. It was a huge, two story stone _mansion_ with a metal wrap around porch on each floor, tall white pillars on the front porch, and a set of red double doors for entrance. There were trees and yard as far as his eyes could see. He’d never seen this much land belong to one person before and he automatically felt undeserving, but that certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Mike tried his best to sooth the omega while everyone transferred his things inside, but it didn’t really work. The end of the day came rapidly, but before it did, the mission had been achieved.

Erwin’s room was bigger than he could have ever imagined from the woman’s description. The four post bed was massive, probably a California king from the looks of it, and the mattress was still wrapped in it’s protective plastic like it had never been used. A fresh set of blankets and sheets sat folded ready to cover it in a plush, royal blue fabric that almost made Erwin ashamed to pile his old pillow on top of. The room had a matching set of black dressers, a large oak desk, two white bedside tables, and large walk in closet that wouldn’t even be half filled when all of Erwin’s things were in it.

“Erwin Oliver Smith if you don’t stop stressing, I swear to a God.” Mike carried his television in and set it up on the dresser across from the bed. “You’re cooking a baby over there. She’s going to come out with wrinkles worse than Chief Shadis has.”

“Mike this is too much.” Erwin plopped down on the edge of the bed but couldn’t keep himself from groaning at how soft it was.

“Babe, comes on, now.” Mike came to sit next to him and gathered the omega into a hug.

“No, you know I don’t like taking pity and charity from people.”

“Erwin, that’s not what this is.” The alpha pushed him back to stare into his eyes. “I love you and Nana has the house to herself. I wanted you closer to me and she cares for you. It will be much easier for all of us with you being here.”

“Still. I don’t know if I like this idea yet.”Erwin crossed his arms when Mike chuckled at him.

“Wait until dinner is ready. Once you taste her cooking, you won’t even remember what being upset even means.” Mike readjusted to flip the television on using the remote in his hand.

“You’re making her cook?” Erwin couldn’t keep the bewilderment out of his voice.

“No one is making me do anything.” Nanaba came into the room blowing on a spoon. “Now, taste this and hush or I won’t feed you anything.”

Erwin couldn’t respond before the spoon of white sauce was offered to him and pressed into his mouth. The Alfredo sauce both instantly calmed him and started a grumbling riot in his stomach because he didn’t realize how hungry he was until now.

“Oh my god…” He moaned a bit louder than he meant to but Mike and Nana laughed anyway.

“See, I told you.” Mike pulled the woman in for a kiss before ushering Erwin to join them in the kitchen

The dinner was absolutely fantastic, it had been so long since Erwin had a home cooked mean like this. Chicken Alfredo was one of his favorite foods and he was pretty sure Mike had had a part in it’s making. For dessert, Nanaba pulled a tub of chocolate ice cream from the freezer. The three of them spent a few hours lounging in the living room watching horror movies before Mike and Nanaba had to go to bed for work.

xxx

Erwin wanted to be able to say that he spent much of his first few days unpacking while Nanaba and Mike were at work, but that was a lie. Having the house to himself for so many hours with seemingly no responsibility meant that the omega could sleep as late as he wanted and he definitely took full advantage of that. He woke up when Mike knocked to check on him before his shift and stirred a little when the door shut behind Nanaba as she left, but other than that he slept soundly. Twelve or thirteen hours could go by without him even getting up to use the bathroom, but nothing could beat how comfortable the bed was in combination with his fan and television. It was like heaven.

The bathroom had also become another favorite place for the omega to spend his time. The tub was large, the perfect size for his entire body to be covered by water all at one time, and the shower had a place for him to sit when his legs were tired but he just wanted a quick wash. Nanaba had given him a large set of fluffy bath towels his first night because he couldn’t find his own and he found himself more drawn to them than any of his.

To say he was settling in nicely was an understatement because the silver-haired omega was the perfect host. He hadn’t expected any less from her, because Mike was an amazing judge of character, so Erwin's feelings of misplacement quickly dissipated. The first few times Nanaba walked in on him making food at three in the morning were a bit nerve-wracking for him, but the woman would simply scratch her stomach, grabbed a bottled water from the fridge, and peak into the pan with curiosity before trudging back upstairs with a light chuckle. Everyone’s routines, or the lack thereof in Erwin's case, gently fell into place to allow for their cohabitation to go swimmingly.

The first time Erwin really felt like an new addition to the household happened in the middle of the night of his second week. He was watching some kind of cooking competition when a thick wave of heat started to trickle through the house. Naturally, he didn’t know Nanaba's cycle schedule yet, much less if she took any kind of medication for it, but he did know that Mike took a small dosage of suppressants so his rut wasn’t due for a bit longer. He was startled, though, when there was a small crash in the kitchen and a pair of footsteps that thrummed down the stairs afterwards. He pulled himself out of bed quietly and slowly made his way to the kitchen to make sure everyone was okay, but was surprised with what he saw.

Nanaba was a shaking mess, coated with a sheen of sweat that darkened the fabric of one of Mike's old training shirts. The cloth stuck to her skin in patches as she fumbled to line the needle of a syringe up with the rubber cap of a glass medication vial. The noise he’d heard was a pot that she’d knocked of the counter, probably in her attempt to pull the fridge open with sweaty fingers. Mike had followed her downstairs and was trying to coax the woman into letting him help, but it was obvious that she wasn’t fully comfortable with the idea. She hissed softly when his fingers wrapped around her own to pull the still-empty syringe from her hand and a deep growl floated between them as the vial was pulled from her other hand.

“It’s okay, I got you.” Mike transferred both items to one hand long enough to pull the omega flush to his shirtless chest and provide her with comfort while he drew up some kind of injection.

Nanaba panted impatiently as the smell of slick started to really permeate the space, but it wasn’t until the woman was tugging at the hem of her shirt that Erwin felt bad for poking into their business. A wet spot stained the shirt from where it had been sticking the tip of the hardness between her legs, and he knew from personal experience that that hurt. He knew that anything against the tip of _his_ dick during a heat hurt, which is why he normally spent his cycles without any clothes on. But his presence is probably why _she_ was wearing something, and that was enough to make him feel guilty.

“Okay. Alright, lean over.” Mike set the empty vial on the counter before soothing a hand over Nanaba's naked hip and, unknowingly, exposing her further.

Erwin blushed slightly and looked away for a second when the woman moaned weakly. She hiked the shirt up even more and groaned when it finally disconnected from her lower body. The counter had to be refreshing against the skin of her cheek when Mike finally convinced her to lay on it.

“Show me where.” The alpha murmured into the skin behind Nana's ear and pressed a soft kiss to keep her focused.

Nanaba felt around the skin of her upper thigh before tapping the meat of her flank. Mike pressed into the area and double checked with her before sinking the short needle into her skin. The woman cried out sharply and Mike responded with a low, rumbling trill as he kissed between he shoulder blades.

“You’re alright. It’s okay. Just breath for me, okay?” Mike eased the syringe out and tossed it into the sink. He grabbed a gauze pad from the first aid kit on top of the fridge and pressed it to the wound. “That’s my girl. You’re okay.”

The heat waves quickly lessened, but they weren’t fully gone. Nanaba's panting slowed down so Mike put a bandaid on her skin before turning her to face him. He pulled the omega into a kiss before lifting her to sit on the counter. Erwin blushed even harder when he could tell this was going to go further than he was allowed to see, especially when Mike's hand wrapped around her and made her moan again. The alpha's arousal started to fill the air and that’s when Erwin chose to turn away.

He quickly retreated back to his room and turned the volume up enough on the television to drown out any noise that might carry through the house. He felt guilty, embarrassed, sure, but mostly guilty for not walking away the moment he noticed she pretty much didn’t have on any clothes. Erwin eventually fell asleep, but the next morning, he came face to face with his guilt again.

“Morning.” Nanaba was in the kitchen making breakfast; he determined Mike must still be upstairs asleep.

“Uh, hey. Good morning.” Erwin grabbed a cup from the cabinet and poured himself a glass of orange juice, but as he went to leave the room, Nanaba stopped him.

“Hey, hey, not so fast mister.” There was a light tone to her voice, which he didn’t expect. “Have breakfast with me. I need to talk to you.”

This is exactly what he was worried about. Something was going to happen and she was going to ask him to leave. At least he hadn’t unpacked too much stuff yet, so there was an upside.

“Nana, it’s okay. We don’t have to–”

“If you don’t fucking sit down you can’t have any bacon.” She snapped at him with a joking tone in her voice as she flipped a pancake in the pan.

Erwin followed the order and stared into his drink but grimaced when kicks pressed against his side. The baby was so sensitive to his mood changes and she always threw a fit when he was stressed out. Nanaba's heat scent still lingered in the air but it didn’t make her unable to tell when Erwin reacted to his daughter.

“You need to relax, you know.” She brought over two plates of food, sitting the bottle of syrup between them. When Erwin immediately go for any of the food, she decided to continue. “So, about last night.”

Erwin felt a stitch run up his back. Could she have known he was there? There’s no way, right? She hadn’t even looked in his direction, not once.

“Um, I don’t…uh…” Erwin felt a blush creep across his cheeks so he tried to cover it up by taking a sip of the juice.

“I know you saw some of that, I heard you come out of your room.” Nanaba ate some of her pancakes and sipped her milk.

“I didn’t mean to, honest. I-I heard the pot hit the floor and just came out to make sure everything was okay. I didn’t see you two doing anything.” Erwin was gripping the glass harder than he needed to because he watched his knuckles go white.

“Erwin, I don’t care about that. I mean, sure it might have been a little weird if you had, but that’s not what I’m concerned about.” She tapped the syrup and pushed it closer to him. “I wanted to talk about what you saw of _me_.”

Erwin wanted to run out of the room. Nanaba didn’t owe him anything, she didn’t need to reveal any secrets about herself just because he may have seen her naked. He wasn’t going to see her any differently or anything like that.

“No, no, you really don’t have to.” Erwin waved softly, trying to dismiss the subject.

“I do, Erwin.” Nana put her fork down and folded her hands together. “I cam tell that you were surprised. And that means that Mike didn’t tell you about me.”

“Tell me about you? He would never do that, Nanaba. He’s a good person. He wouldn’t tell others your per–” Erwin’s topped talking when she held up her hand.

“I know he wouldn’t tell _just_ anyone, but I figured you knew because of how close the two of you are. So, I want to apologize for not being open with you.”

“Nanaba, please, you don’t owe me anything.” Erwin felt himself starting to panic because he was suddenly worried that he came across as a person that was judgmental. “I am not entitled to know anything like that just because you’re with him.”

“That’s not really what I mean, Erwin.” The woman smirked softly and ate a piece of bacon. “I moved you in without being open with you and I didn’t think about how that might impact you.”

The confusion in Erwin's brain must have transferred into his face because Nanaba laughed lightly. She poured a bit more syrup on her plate before stuffing an entire forkful in her mouth.

“So, my heat cycles are really off because of my HRT. Sometimes I can time them but if I get too stressed or have a lot going on, my hormones get unbalanced and a heat will sneak up on me. I keep emergency suppressants in the fridge, but I didn’t consider the fact that I might need to keep them upstairs from now on.” She paused for another bite of food. “With the baby on the way, I, of all people, should have been more considerate.”

Erwin was still in shock when the omega rolled her eyes and popped the cap on the bottle to pour the syrup on his pancakes for him. He rolled the information around in his head but couldn’t come up with the response she deserved.

“Will you at least say something so I know you don’t hate me?” Nanaba started to push the pancakes around with her fork.

“What?” Erwin scoffed in surprise. “Hate you? Nana, I thought you were kicking me out. You were…indisposed and I had no right to get in your business. And in _your_ house.”

“Erwin, honey no.” She reached across the table to take one of his hands. “I mean, sure, being…hard and ready in front of someone isn’t my _preferred_ way for people to find out, but it’s not your fault. Like I said, I figured Mike would have told you about my transition anyway.”

They stared at one another for a moments before breaking out into laughter and taking a much needed breath. Nanaba shook her head and motioned towards his food. For the first time since he sat down, Erwin allowed himself to pick up a fork as the conversation settled in his brain.

“The cleaners are coming today, don’t forget. I already told them to remember to knock on your door and ask before coming in. You weren’t here last week when they came by but if you don’t want them to do anything yet, just let them know.” Nanaba polished off her milk and jumped up to rinse her plate off. “Isabel is an alpha but she’s a lovely girl, so don’t get thrown of by that. Her brother, Farlan, is a beta and he’s an absolute doll, but it will most likely be their mother who comes to you. Her name is Kuchel. She’s an alpha also, a bit scary if you get on her bad side, but an amazing woman.”

“Okay. I’m still a bit disorganized in there so maybe next week? I’ve been too tired to unpack still.” He wanted to finish off his food but a wave of nausea suddenly rolled over his stomach; he dropped his fork on the plate and covered his mouth. The baby, naturally, didn’t help at all because she immediately started to move around.

“Okay, I’ll just take that.” Nana quickly plucked his plate away from the table. “Go lay down.”

Erwin slowly rose from the table to hold the bottom of his stomach, caressing the round with the hopes it would help lessen the nausea. Normally, resting and drinking a Gatorade would make the omega feel better, but after a few hours tossing and turning, he still didn’t feel better. Mike came to check on him a few times and tried cuddling the horrific feeling away with some wave comfort, but that didn’t help either, so Erwin decided to try taking a bath.

He wanted to drown out the rest of the world for a little bit. He filled the tub with the hottest water possible and sprinkled it with salts and oils, lit a few different good-smelling candles, and turned the lights off to cast the room in a soft glow. He set up a Bluetooth speaker on the counter with one of his favorite playlists on a low volume, and everything was perfect. Erwin lowered himself into the steaming water and felt his entire body relax, pulling a deep groan from his throat. The omega just lounged there until he pruned over, periodically refreshing the water when it got cold, but ultimately enjoying the fact that his child and stomach were giving him a little bit of peace. At some point, he vaguely recognized a few new sets of waves entering the home, a beta and an alpha but over the candles he couldn’t tell much more.

Erwin could bathe all day if given the option. It was bad enough that Mike made the joke that if he kept on, their child was going to develop a tail and swim out of his body instead of being born. He just loved being surrounded by warmth because it was soothing like nothing else, and his skin got moisturized at the same time. It was a win-win situation. Soon, though, Erwin felt an alpha presence in his room and knew it was the larger blonde coming to force him back onto dry land. He hoped the man knew he wouldn’t come out without a fight.

The door suddenly swung open, but with much less grace than the omega was expecting. It thumped hard against the wall and startled his eyes open, bring to his attention that the alpha entering definitely _wasn’t_ Mike. The man flicked on the light in the same heartbeat as realizing the room was occupied because the shock was obvious on his face. Erwin and the black-haired alpha just stared at each other for a minute. The man's eyes were warm, but suddenly filled with a cautious flame that illuminated the silver of his irises. His hair was short with a crisp undercut that outlined the daintiness of his ears and contrasted the paleness of his skin. Thin eyebrow pinched together in the middle of the alpha's forehead like he was running something over in his mind. The man opened his mouth, as if to say something, but the action was quickly interrupted when a loud, dark, familiar growl echoed from inside Erwin’s room.


End file.
